Clothes-pounder.



N E S R U B M A L N CLOTHES POUNDBR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.11, 1913.

Patented Mar. 10, 1914,

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

X/IFF] E5 5 E5 \jnL N. F. AMBURSEN.

CLOTHES POUNDER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 11, 1913.

Patented Mar. 10, 191i 2 3HEETS-BHEET 2.

\X/ITH EEEE 5 JIL COLUMBIA PLANOORAIM CO.,WANINOTON. D. c.

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CLOTHES-POUNDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 11, 1913.

To all whom it may concern lie it known that I, NILS l nnonmcn AM nUnsnJ, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Brookline, in the county of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in tilothes-Po-unders, of which the following is a specification.

hly invention relates to clothes-pounders and its object to improve the coi'istruction thereof in the manner hereinafter set :lorth.

Three embodiments of my inventimi are illustrated in the drawings which accompany and term a part of this specification; but it will be understood that various niodiiications may be made in the devices shown without departing from the spirit of my invention.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a vertical section of my improved clothes-pounder; Fig. 2 is a vertical section of a .mmlitimuion: Fig. 3 is an inverted plan view of the dcviee shown in Fig. 1; Fig. t is a vertical section of a further modification; Fig. 5 is a section on the line o't Fi t; and Fig. (3 is a section on the line 66 of Fig. 4t.

In the particular drawings selected for more .t'ully disclosing my invention, 1 represents a conical body of tin or other suitable material having an imperforate elastic diaphragm 9;, preferably of pure rubber, sccured to the interior wall thereof at a point intermediate its ends. The means for securing the diaphragm to the conical body eonsists, as shown in Fig. 1, of a metallic ring shaped to conform to the inclination oat the wall of the body 1 and split at 4, the downturned edges 9 of the diaphragm, which are preferably corrugated as shown at 5, being clamped between the interior wall of the conical body and ring, the outer face of which preferably is correspondingly cc-rrugated, as shown at 6, and held in position by the screws or rivets 7. It will be obvious that various means may be employed to secure the diaphragm to the interior of the conical body. \Vhcre the split ring 3 is employed, the screw or rivet diametrically opposite to the split -11: is first placed in position and then other screws or rivets are inserted on either side until the split is reached, the split enabling the ring to conform more perfectly to the inclination of the wall of the conical body 1. It is highly desirable to make an airtight joint between the dia phragm and cone and for this purpose 1 Patent ed Mar. 10, 1.9.14. Serial No. 789,322.

I prefer to corrngate the downturned edges of the diaphragm and, the outer tare oi the ring, as shown. In order to prevent the clothes from rising up into the cone I provide a grating consisting in the present. instance of the ribs 8, having the llan es 10 secured to the ring 9 by thc rirels or screws 9, or by soldering or otherwise, and said. ring may be secured to the conical body 1 below the diaphragm in any suitable manner, as for example, by means of said rivets or screws passing through the walls (it said body as shown, or bv soldering or otherwise. The inner ends of the ribs may be united as shown at 11. by soldering or in any other suitable manner. The conical. body tcrminates in a tube 1 preferably tapering up wardly, and a hollow handle 12 of brass or olher suitable inateri l. the lower portion of which is correspondingly tapered, is fitted over said tube.

in the operation of cloihes-pounders ot this general type, the lip-stroke creates suetion and the down-stroke 'l'orces air and water through the clothes. By means of the improvement above described, I am enabled very ellectuallv to force a considerable quantity of air and water through the clothes on the downstroke. As will be obvious, on the down-strokc the compression oil. the air in that portion of the cone below the diaphragm will llex the latter upwardly, the air above the diaphragm passing out through the hollow handle 12, so that at the end of the stroke the diaphragn'i will react and momentarily bulge dmvnwardly beyond its normal position. thereby driving an additional amount of air and water through the clothes with considerable :l'orce. On the upstroke, a certain amount of suction will be created, thereby drawing a new charge oi. air into the cone below the diaphragm and the diaphragn'l will be lleXed downwardly, air now passing into the upper portion oi. the cone through the hollow handle. At the end of the upstroke the reaction of the diaphragm upwardly into and beyond its normal position will greatly increase such suction, so that in the next down-stroke a considerable amount of air and water will be forced. through the clothes as above described.

.ln the nun lilication shown in Fig. 2, a diaphragm ll. preferably of thicker rubber than the diaphragm 2 of Fig. 1, is sccured in any suitable manner across the cone 1, as for example by means of the ring 15 and screws 16 which pass through said cone and ring. In this case the hollow handle 17, the lower portion of which is provided with perforations 18, and which has the collars 19, 19 secured to it to limit its movement with respect to the cone, is attached at its lower end to the diaphragm by means of the washers 22 and nut 23, or in any other suitable manner, so as to make an air-tight joint between the diaphragm and handle. The cone 1 terminates in a tube 20 to which is secured by soldering or otherwise, a sleeve 20 having a cap 20, and between the cap and collar 19 is interposed a spiral spring 21, the spring and collar being so arranged that in normal position the diaphragm is flexed upwardly, as shown. The cap 20 should preferably fit the handle snugly so as to make the bearing water-tight. A grating consisting of ribs 24 is attached to the lower end of the cone in any suitable manner, the inner ends of the ribs being united at 25. It will be understood, of course, that the form of grating shown in Fig. 1 may be used in the modification illustrated in Fig. 2 and vice versa.

In the operation of the clothes-pounder shown in Jig. 2, the movement of the conical body on the down-stroke will force air and water through the clothes and at the end of the down-stroke, or shortly before, the relative movement of the handle and cone against the tension of the spring 21 will fieX the diaphragm downwardly, thereby forcing an additional amount of air and water through the clothes. On the upstroke the suction created will be increased by the spring. In this case the air in the conical body above the diaphragm will escape through the hollow handle by way of the perforations 18 when the diaphra m is flexed upwardly, and will enter said portion when the diaphragm is flexed downwardly.

It will be obvious that in all three embodiments of my invention there is no possibility of any compression of air in the space above the diaphragm and therefore no interference with the free action, of the latter under the influence of compression and rarefaction in the lower part of the cone. The cone may be provided with vent-holes 1, 1, so as to raise the level to which the water will rise in the cone on the down-stroke.

In the modification shown in Fig. 4: the downturned edges 2 of the diaphragm 2 are held in position in the groove 26 of the conical body by means of the spring-ring 27 provided with downwardlyextending finger-pieces 28, whereby, as will be obvious,

reaction of the diaphragm and.

the ring may be contracted in diameter, inserted over the downturned edges of .the diaphragm and then sprung into position.

If desired, a wedge-shaped key 30 having its outer edges channeled to receive the finger-pieces 28 may be employed to prevent the dislodgmentof the ring during the operation of the clothes-pounder. In such case the lower ends of the finger-pieces may be off-set as shown, at 29, and after the ring has been placed in position the two fingerpieces are bent away from each other, the key inserted and the finger-pieces allowed to snap back over the same, thereby securely locking the ring in position.

I claim: I

1. A clothes-pounder comprising a conical body and an imperforate elastic diaphragm secured to the interior wall of said body at a point intermediate the ends thereof.

2. A clothes-pounder comprising a conical body, an imperforate elastic diaphragm securedto the interior wall of said body at a point intermediate the ends thereof, and a grating arranged below said diaphragm.

8. A clothes-pounder comprising a conical body an imperforate elastic diaphragm secured to the interior wall of said body at a point intermediate the ends thereof, and a hollow handle for operating said clothespounder.

1. A clothes-pounder comprising a conical body, and an imperforate elastic dia phragm secured to the interior wall of said body at a point intermediate the ends thereof, the wall of said body being provided with a vent-hole below said diaphragm.

5. A clothes-pounder comprising a conical body, an imperforate elastic diaphragm secured to the interior wall of said body at a point intermediate the ends thereof, a hollow handle secured to said diaphragm, and resilient means for normally maintaining said diaphragm flexed upwardly.

6. A clothes-pounder comprising a conical body, an imperforate elastic diaphragm secured to the interior wall of said body at a point intermediate the ends thereof, a hollow handle secured to said diaphragm, means for limiting the movement of said handle relatively to said body, and resilient means for normally maintaining said diaphragm flexed upwardly.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 9th day of September, 1913.

Gno. K. 'Woonwon'rn, E. B. ToMLINsoN.

Uopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

